April 2026 — NGO/Government Roundtable on Embodied Carbon

[mep2040 (MEP 2040 Commitment)]

The NGO/Government Roundtable has the following objectives:

• Share news, strategic plans, resources, and tools related to embodied carbon.
• Report planning and future dates for conferences, webinars, and meetings.
• Inspire and facilitate ongoing communication and conversation among key leaders related to embodied carbon.
• Encourage convergence on shared embodied carbon terminology, data standards, benchmarks, and targets for embodied carbon reduction.

Should your organization be a member? Contact Andrew Himes.

NGO/Government Roundtable April 16, 2026

Reports from:

1. Rachelle Habchi, CLF — Material Spotlights: Existing and Emerging Strategies to Decarbonize Construction Materials
2. Roy Ingraffia — International Masonry Institute
3. Sarah Gregg — Natural Stone Institute
4. Joshua Clement — Global Energy Monitor
5. Bruce King — Straw Building Today Video
6. Jacqueline Adams — Climate XChange
7. Ghina Annan and Brian Johnson — MEP 2040
8. Colleen Loader — Canada GBC — Third National Embodied Carbon Summit
9. Rebecca Esau — RMI
10. Bob Redwine — Colorado Embodied Carbon Collaborative
11. Susan Fancy — Global CO2 Initiative (and Greentown Go Build 2026)
12. Yujia Han and Astrid Grigsby-Schulte — Global Energy Monitor
13. Christy Stanker — ClimateWorks Foundation
14. Wes Sullens or Lyndsay Watkins — USGBC
15. Mark Brandt — ZNCC and CHN: Sustainable Buildings and Construction Summit
16. Darienne Highsmith — Seattle and Bellevue 2030 Districts
17. Willy Carlsen — WRI
18. Cecilia Wandiga – CSTI

Key Takeaways

• Near-Term Action is Critical: CLF’s “Materials Spotlights” report shows that current, proven strategies (e.g., material substitution, efficiency) are essential for meeting 2050 goals, as emerging technologies won’t scale until ~2040.
• Data Gaps are Closing: New resources are making low-carbon materials more accessible. This includes a new industry-wide EPD for clay brick, a filterable catalog for natural stone, and MEP2040’s V2 Beginner’s Guide.
• Policy & Standards are Advancing: RMI released a CPACE primer and the ResNet 1550 standard for building embodied carbon. LEED v5 now requires a 20% carbon reduction for Platinum projects.
• Global Data & Collaboration are Growing: GEM’s free trackers provide transparent data on steel and cement production. Initiatives like CAGBC’s summit and Climate Exchange’s policy dashboard are fostering collective action.

Topics

The Urgency of Near-Term Decarbonization

• CLF’s “Materials Spotlights” report identifies proven, available strategies for immediate embodied carbon reduction.
• Focus: Concrete, steel, insulation, and asphalt, which represent ~85% of A1–A3 emissions to 2050.
• Criteria for Spotlighted Technologies:
  • Top 20% of EPD performers or >30% reduction potential.
  • Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7–9 (tested, proven).
  • Commercial Readiness Index (CRI) 1–2 (available, scaling).
• Key Findings:
  • Concrete: 62% reduction using MRI-sulfated slag; 39% reduction with Reversa binder.
  • Steel: City of Boulder hospital steel reuse is a key case study.
  • Insulation: Material substitution is a primary strategy.
  • Asphalt: Washington DOT achieved a 15% reduction using 39% recycled asphalt pavement (RAP).
• Common Barriers: Perceived risk, cost concerns, and lack of consistent availability.
• Common Success Factors: Early, well-coordinated team collaboration and performance-based certifications.

New Data, Tools & Resources

• International Masonry Institute (IMI) & Kieran Timberlake (KT)
  • A new, full lifecycle industry-wide EPD for clay brick was published in November 2025.
  • It covers three product categories (clay brick, thin brick, pavers) and includes A5, B, C, and D modules.
  • Conversion factors allow the data to apply to a wider range of use cases.
• Natural Stone Institute (NSI)
  • The Natural Stone Catalog is an online library of 198 North American stones, filterable by sustainability metrics (EPD, HPD, certifications).
  • A July 2026 upgrade will add international materials and an API aligned with the mindful materials framework.
  • NSI is coordinating a new industry-wide EPD for January 2027 and encouraging quarries to publish HPDs.
• MEP2040
  • The quarterly forum on May 14 will launch the V2 Beginner’s Guide for MEP systems and a compilation of pilot studies.
  • The MEP2040 website features a landing page with a continuously updated list of manufacturers offering EPDs for MEP systems.
• Global Energy Monitor (GEM)
  • GEM provides free, open-source data trackers for heavy industry to enable transparency and decarbonization.
  • Global Iron and Steel Tracker: Covers >90% of global capacity. Data shows 90% of iron making is coal-based (blast furnace), with India as the largest developer of new, mostly coal-based capacity.
  • Global Cement and Concrete Tracker: Covers 3,515 plants. China and India dominate capacity. The 2026 database will be published in July.

Policy, Standards & Industry Initiatives

• RMI
  • CPACE Policy Primer: Template language and guidance for integrating embodied carbon into CPACE programs.
  • Case Studies: Three built projects by Skanska demonstrate cost-effective low-carbon solutions (adaptive reuse, mass timber, carbon-aware concrete procurement).
  • ResNet 1550 Standard: Published for quantifying, verifying, and reporting embodied carbon of residential buildings. RMI will now campaign for its adoption by policymakers.
• USGBC (LEED v5)
  • New Project Priority Credits: Include a Multi-Attribute MEP credit that references MEP2040’s Beginner’s Guide to incentivize products with EPDs for identified data gaps.
  • IP Prerequisite Carbon Assessment: A 25-year whole-life carbon assessment that integrates embodied carbon credits.
  • LEED v5 Platinum Requirement: A mandatory 20% embodied carbon reduction is now required for Platinum certification.
• Colorado Embodied Carbon Collaborative (CECC)
  • Launched a 5-year goal to achieve a 40% embodied carbon reduction by 2030.
  • Scope: Whole buildings (structure, enclosure, interiors) and A1–A3 lifecycle stages.
  • Method: Extrapolates CLF Benchmarks V2 data to set targets for more project types, including a specific target for light-frame multi-family.
• Climate Exchange
  • Tracks 68 climate mitigation policies across 7 sectors for all 50 states.
  • The State Climate Policy Dashboard tracks embodied carbon policies, showing 9 states with enacted legislation.
• Canadian Green Building Council (CAGBC)
  • Hosting the 3rd National Embodied Carbon Summit (Montreal, free, 80 attendees).
  • Goal: Address headwinds to collective action through workshops on communications and coordination.
• Seattle & Bellevue 2030 Districts
  • Nonprofit focused on decarbonizing 73M sq ft of buildings.
  • Growing focus on embodied carbon, including an annual Vision Award for projects like The Metropole.
• WRI
  • Published a working paper analyzing global product-level emission standards for cement, concrete, and steel, with recommendations for harmonization.
• Centre for Science and Technology Innovations (CSTI)
  • Supporting Kenya’s new net-zero construction roadmap by piloting SCMs (e.g., biochar) for pavers and structural walls.

Emerging Materials & Innovation

• Buildwell.site (Bruce King)
  • Released an 11-minute video on straw building, highlighting its potential to offset the concrete industry’s emissions.
• Greentown Go Build 2026 (Global CO2 Initiative)
  • An accelerator program for 5 startups developing carbon-negative materials from waste.
  • Examples: Carbon Infuse (carbon-negative SCMs), Low Carbon Materials (biochar aggregates), Neocrete (additive enabling up to 70% cement replacement).
  • Materials will be trialed in Amazon buildings in 2027.

Next Steps

• Andrew (CLF): Email meeting recording, chat links, and registration for the next meeting (July).
• All Participants:
  • Register for the MEP2040 quarterly forum (May 14).
  • Explore the Natural Stone Catalog and volunteer for NSI’s EPD committee.
  • Share RMI’s CPACE primer and ResNet 1550 standard with policy networks.
  • Watch for GEM’s 2026 steel report (next month) and cement database (July).